Jobs is the world's 'leading-edge guy' - Woolard

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has vision, dedication to detail, collaboration skills and the ability to make money: all talents he will most likely use at Walt Disney after the Pixar acquisition.

By
Macworld staff
, | 30 Jan 06

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has vision, dedication to detail, collaboration skills and the ability to make money: all talents he will most likely lend to Walt Disney after the Pixar acquisition.

Former Apple board member, Edgar S. Woolard Jr, predicts Jobs will apply his intelligence at Disney but "won't come in with a heavy hand", he told Business Week.

Woolard is the Apple board member who begged Jobs to return to Apple in 1996, an invitation Jobs declined at first.

Describing the merger between the two firms as "fantastic", Woolard explained some of the characteristics Jobs applies to his work: "There's one thing that's for certain: If Steve has a good relationship with you, there's nobody better in the world to work with. He trusts you, and he listens, and he bounces his ideas off you. But if he doesn't trust you, it doesn't work," he explains.

Jobs also knows how to make decisions: "(He) just says "this isn't working" and does something about it. He does the kinds of things that an operating CEO is supposed to do," according to Woolard.

"I think he's driven by wanting to make unique products that are outstanding and change the perspective for consumers. He wants to be the leading-edge guy - which he is. He's the most leading-edge guy in the world," Woolard concludes.